Amnesty in Salisbury & South Wiltshire
Promoting human rights from Salisbury UK
November 2024
We have made some changes to how we promote the site. We are – in keeping with thousands of others – no longer on X as it is allowing some unpleasant material to remain unmoderated. You will see at the bottom of posts that we are now on Mastodon and Bluesky. Please let us know if there are problems with accessing either of these. We continue to post on Facebook.
November 2024
The minutes of our November meeting are here thanks to group member Lesley for producing them. The contain information about forthcoming events and brief reports on refugees and the death penalty.
November 2024
This month’s report is Eurocentric. Hopefully we can look at the wider aspects next time, as we become clearer about the new US President’s plans for widespread deportation (and also the Australian government’s battle with the courts).
The government’s proposals on the small boats crisis remain unclear at the moment. Apart from the Prime Minister’s curious assertion that the people smugglers constitute a threat to national security, things continue much as before. The total number of arrivals so far this year is over 32,000, 22% up on last year (but still below 2022). Worse overcrowding on the boats is partly responsible for 64 migrants dying at sea this year (5 times last year’s total). The government has agreed improved intelligence exchange with three Balkan countries and has pledged £150 million for the proposed Border Security Command.
Within the Home Office It is suggested that there is some doubt as to how the new Command will work. Lizzie Dearden in the i reports that the fear is that the more the authorities clamp down the more risky the methods used by migrants and that a new approach is the best solution. Nevertheless, the Home Office is recruiting a head for the proposed National Returns Progression Command, a body intended to take control of deporting unsuccessful applicants for asylum status.
There has been much concern about the use of the term “illegal arrival” as per the 2022 Nationality and Borders Act. Anyone guilty of “facilitation” (which includes steering a boat) is liable to up to life imprisonment, and cases have been reported of this happening. Since the Act came into force there have been 471 arrests, 233 of them for taking the tiller.
An aspect of the difficulties within the system is the lack of available legal aid. The Joint Council on the Welfare of Immigrants is urging a reform of the legal aid system, arguing that a functioning system would be much cheaper for the public purse than the present approach.
According to the French charity Utopia 56 there are still some 2,000 migrants on the Channel coast in France.
The Institute for Public Policy Research have observed the need to consider the demand side of the equation, to see why so many are fleeing their countries of origin: ”In order to have an effective response you need to go beyond enforcement.”
Elsewhere possible solutions to the problem are being considered. In Switzerland, since 2019 a new approach has been tried: the main aim is to target a total of 140 days for the complete processing of applications, while not cutting corners. The three critical issues are:
1. to have enough decision makers
2. fast streaming easier cases and moving more difficult ones to a different process and
3. ensuring access to lawyers.
Meanwhile in Spain a more friendly attitude to arrivals is being pursued, both for the economy and to allow family reunions. The Spanish government is opposed to what it terms “Melonisation”, the Italian plan to offload migrant processing to Albania.
Human Rights Watch have a piece noting that discerning the popular attitude towards refugees very much depends on the question asked. People are more sympathetic when it is phrased in terms of what would happen to deported asylum seekers rather than immigrant numbers arriving here.
Finally, a success story of an “illegal” migrant:
An immigration lawyer reviews Paddington in Peru: A very British bear – Free Movement
Andrew Hemming
November 2024
Some members of the Amnesty group met last evening to celebrate the 50th anniversary of its foundation. We are, sad to say, the last surviving group in Wiltshire. As we have noted before, the founders in 1974 may have thought that human rights were now a part of the political agenda and that it might naturally wither on the vine especially when the Human Rights Act became law in the UK. That has not been the case and the need for vigilance is ever present.
The world situation is dire for millions in countries like Burma where the minorities such as the Rohingya are persecuted; China where the Uyghurs and Tibetans suffer monstrous persecution; sub Saharan Africa where wars rage and millions flee or are driven from their homes; Syria – although quiet at present – has been a country where large numbers have been killed or driven from their homes and currently, the Middle East where a fearsome death toll and suggestions of ethnic cleansing are taking place in Gaza.
In the UK, hostility to the HRA is ever present and was a fixture of Conservative party policy for some years. Only yesterday we reported on a Daily Mail article which gave its readers only partial details of a report critical of the HRA produced by a secretive think tank. Several of the tabloids and the right wing press generally have maintained a steady stream of anti human rights stories suggesting the act is a get out of gaol card for criminals, terrorists and assorted ne’er-do-wells.
The They Work for You website reveals that both local MPs – John Glen and Danny Kruger – generally vote against human rights proposals. Kruger has written often on this subject and we have reviewed some of his activities on this site. The last Conservative government passed several pieces of legislation to limit protests and giving more powers to the police to arrest people taking part in protests. Indeed, the issue of arrests of journalists was part of the last Salisbury Democracy Café debate on Saturday 9th.
Both internationally and in the UK, the continuing need for a spotlight on human rights issues is vital and the group hopes to carry on with this work in the years to come. We always welcome new members and the best thing is to follow this site or Facebook (salisburyai) to see what we are doing and come along and make yourself known. Oh, and we had a very enjoyable meal!
Pic: Jane Miller
November 2024
The 49th Vigil took place in Salisbury yesterday (9th November) and despite being on the cold side, 40 people attended for the half an hour. The Vigil attracted a lot of attention from passers by. There is a short video. Our previous post discussed the situation in Gaza and the recently published UN report. In the post we said that if a response from Israel came to hand we would amend the post as appropriate. Today (10th) there is no mention of the report.
November 2024
The 48th Vigil for peace in the Middle East took place yesterday and with the change in clocks, we were back to candles. About 40 were in attendance, the strongest turnout for some time. Also, a stronger contingent of young people. It is amazing to note the numbers – which do fluctuate – remain high.
Events in the region show no sign of a let up. Bombing continues in both Gaza and Lebanon. Commentators are reporting that the “General’s Plan” of clearing north Gaza of Palestinians seems to be happening despite denials. Such footage as emerges is shocking. With Unwra to be banned from the area and no other agency with the scale or infrastructure able to take its place, the future looks truly grim. So much now depends on the US election in a few days time. If Trump wins and becomes president in the New Year, then it seems unlikely any pressure will be put on Netanyahu to compromise. The future if Kamala Harris succeeds is less predictable as she has had to moderate her views in the light of the Jewish vote in the US.
More media outlets beginning to refer to Israeli actions as ‘genocide’. It is worth reminding ourselves what genocide is and the UN definition is:
The Genocide Convention establishes in Article I that the crime of genocide may take place in the context of an armed conflict, international or non-international, but also in the context of a peaceful situation. The latter is less common but still possible. The same article establishes the obligation of the contracting parties to prevent and to punish the crime of genocide.
The popular understanding of what constitutes genocide tends to be broader than the content of the norm under international law. Article II of the Genocide Convention contains a narrow definition of the crime of genocide, which includes two main elements:
As we have noted before, the issue of intent is important. A number of agencies and organisations have concluded that there is sufficient intent to conclude it is genocide.
The death toll in Gaza is around 43,000. Over 100,000 have been injured. Over 1,200 have been killed in Israel.
October 2024
Just when you think it cannot get worse, it does. The situation in Gaza, particularly in the northern enclave is dire. Bombing continues and plans to prevent food and other aid entering is underway. The Israeli government plans to ban the UN agency UNWRA. [Update: 29th October. This has been approved by the Knesset]. The Times newspaper in the UK claims that the agency is of value to Hamas and not ordinary Palestinians, a view similar to the Israeli government.
Further, there have been many allegations that UNWRA employees were engaged in the terror attack on 7 October 2023. Seven of the agency’s employees were dismissed after an investigation by the UN. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant alleges 30 of their employees were involved. He said in a Haaretz article that out of 13,000 employees, 1,468 were involved in terror organisations.
A representative of the National Unity Party spoke on BBC World at One today (28 October). They claimed that UNWRA was ‘rotten to the core’. The representative alleged that ‘most [of their staff] were Hamas activists’. Later she said that ‘70% were affiliated to Hamas’. The BBC interviewer tried gamely to interject saying that there was no evidence for these claims. It was admitted that a small number were involved as noted above. The interviewee was sure that the Knesset will vote in the measure today saying there was wide-spread support for it.
The problem as we have noted before is that there is a lack of independent verification for these various claims some of which are extremely wild. Claims that buildings are being used by terrorists are impossible to verify. Gaza is one of the most dangerous places for journalists to operate in. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 131 have died and 69 arrested. They believe 5 have been murdered by Israeli forces. The question is, if Israel is so certain that buildings are used by Hamas and people are being used by them as human shields, why not allow independent verification?
Over the weekend, Israeli forces bombed various military sites in Iran raising the tensions still further.
Meanwhile, in Salisbury the vigils continue and over 35 were in attendance on Saturday. We will gather again on Saturday 2 November when we shall be back to candles. Around 42,000 have died in Gaza according to Le Monde.
October 2024
We are pleased to attach the minutes of the group’s meeting held on 10 October thanks to group member Lesley for their preparation. They are longer than normal minutes as they double as our newsletter. If you live in the south Wiltshire area you would be welcome to join us and we meet on the second Thursday of each month. A good idea is to make yourself known at an event we’re running. Joining us is free but there is a fee to join Amnesty International.
October 2024
The 44th Salisbury peace Vigil continues with around 35 in attendance yesterday (5th October). It is almost a year since the terrible events on 7th October 2023 was the trigger for the current round of violence which seems to be getting worse by the day. Last week, saw a huge barrage of missiles from Iran directed towards Israel. Israel also stepped up its campaign with a ground invasion of Lebanon as well as bombing communities in the south and in Beirut itself. A million or more have been displaced and there have been around 1,500 deaths. Over 41,000 have been killed in Gaza.
After October 7th, there was a wave of international sympathy for Israel. The number killed and the manner of their deaths – some burned alive and others brutally and gleefully murdered – shocked world opinion. As time has gone by and the images of destruction wrought on Gaza, sympathy for Israel has turned to frustration. We have seen footage of building after building being demolished. People are being forced to move time and again. The scale of misery has been shocking. The seemingly indiscriminate nature of the bombing is also shocking. The ‘human shield’ argument has been much used and evidence for it has not been supplied.
Huge numbers of women and children have been killed. Many thousands have received life changing injuries including the loss of limbs. Entire families have been wiped out when blocks of flats have been destroyed. Aid deliveries have been restricted or delayed. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic.
And the world has looked on powerlessly. Peace efforts have come to nought. Military aid continues largely unabated. The US, formerly the key player in the region, is looking as feeble as its president. It is a tragedy being played out in real time on our screens. Israel is accused of genocide and ignoring claims that its response is disproportionate.
It seems a long time since talk of a ‘new world order’ and international relations being settled by diplomacy. Israel is in danger of winning battles but ultimately losing the war. They may inflict crippling physical damage on Hamas and Hezbollah due to its huge superiority in military strength, but they cannot crush the ideology. Peace in the area can never be achieved until the Palestinian question is resolved probably through some kind of two state solution. The sad fact is that at the end of this campaign (and when that will be is unpredictable) fundamental issues will remain unresolved. The Palestinians will not have a state: Israel will continue to be surrounded by hostile neighbours.
What is alarming to note is that neither the UN nor USA has been able to secure a peace deal or any kind of enduring settlement. The EU is side lined.
We shall continue our vigil in Salisbury each Saturday at 5 o’clock in the market square. A small gesture perhaps …
October 2024
The Salisbury Amnesty group was established 50 years ago this year and some of the current members met briefly for a photo in the Market Square. It was probably not imagined in those distant days that we would still be active. After all, the purpose of a charity is to work itself out of existence. Unfortunately, human rights are in a fairly parlous state in many parts of the world. Almost wherever you look, people are imprisoned for their political beliefs. Media organisations are tightly restricted or banned. Journalists are murdered, with three quarters of recent murders in Gaza alone. Terrible events are taking place in the Middle East. Atrocities continue in Burma, almost completely unreported. Individuals are tortured and justice is denied for millions. The post-war hope ushered in by the Universal Declaration has had only mixed results.
Depressingly, it is not just foreign countries where human rights are under threat. In the UK there has been a prolonged campaign to repeal the Human Rights Act led by a vocal section of the press. Several acts have been passed making protest harder and reducing access to judicial review. Police powers have been increased. Facial recognition technology does not seem to be far away. One of the leadership contenders for the Conservative party wants the UK to leave the European Convention of Human Rights.
Sadly, we are the only extant group in Wiltshire. So the next 50 years begins …
Members and supporters outside the Guildhall on 3 October. We were particularly pleased that one of the founder members from 50 years ago was able to attend. (Picture: Salisbury Amnesty)
